Orthodontics is a specialized profession in dentistry concerned with the precise application of forces to teeth, thereby guiding them into proper positions. Such treatment has many potential benefits, including improvement to bite function, maintenance of dental hygiene, and facial aesthetics. Fixed appliance therapy is one common type of orthodontic treatment which involves bonding tiny slotted appliances, called brackets, to the teeth. After bonding, a resilient arch-shaped wire (or “archwire”) is placed in the slots of the brackets to begin treatment. Although the archwire is initially deflected from its original shape when installed, the wire imparts gentle therapeutic forces over time, thereby progressively moving crooked teeth toward their proper locations in the mouth.
The treating professional will sometimes use a device called an orthodontic splint to achieve a particular treatment result. The use of a splint, or “splinting,” involves joining together two or more teeth to immobilize them relative to each other. Because this effectively enlarges the root surface area engaged with the jawbone, this has the effect of providing greater anchorage by increasing the resistance to forces applied to the teeth. Achieving proper anchorage during treatment is generally important to resist reactive forces generated as a result of the activation of an orthodontic appliance, such as an archwire, and avoid undesirable tooth movement. Splinting can also be useful when treatment is confined to certain teeth segments (for example, in cuspid-to-cuspid, or “3×3” treatment, or bicuspid-to-bicuspid, or “5×5” treatment), where it can be useful to connect the first and second bicuspid teeth or first molar and second molar teeth.